Resurrection
by Kajivar
Summary: F4 II The Wrath of Doom. Picks up after the movie. He's back for revenge, and this time, the good guys are going down. ProDoom, as if you didn't guess.
1. Prologue

A/N: Based off the movie, of course, not the comics. Very pro-Doom, you have been warned. If the downfall of the good guys isn't your cup of tea, you probably won't enjoy this. ;)

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**Prologue:**

Leonard Kirk had served Victor well for the past six years. When Victor had made his first millions, one of his first charitable acts had been to create the Von Doom Scholarship to help Latverian students attend high-priced colleges in the United States and Europe. Leonard had been one of the lucky first recipients, and after he had graduated with a degree in public relations, Victor had offered him a job as his personal assistant. He was honored and thrilled to accept the job.

Since then he'd been Victor's shadow, dealing with everything from press conferences to planning parties to arranging appointments to making sure Victor's favorite grooming products were always on hand. He made sure that any indiscretions on Victor's part went unseen by Susan Storm, his (undeserving) girlfriend. He had full access to almost all Victor's accounts and assets as well as authority over all Von Doom Industries resources.

Close but unseen, he'd watched the bankers withdraw their support from VDI, and watched Victor take his revenge on Ned Cecil. That Victor's action might be wrong never crossed his mind. His job was to get Victor what he wanted, and to make him look good doing it. Victor's new state did not change that.

After the fight with the so-called "Fantastic Four," he'd made immediate arrangements to have the frozen statue secured and returned to VDI. Distracted by their undeserved accolades, the four heroes didn't notice the VDI security forces lifting the statue into a truck and driving away until it was too late. The civilians, sheep that they were, deferred to the VDI employees, and by the time the police arrived there was no clear story on just what had happened.

But Leonard knew Victor wasn't safe in New York. Sooner or later the government would realize where he was and try to get their hands on him, or Reed himself might claim him as a trophy. So he'd prepared Victor for transport back to their homeland. A cargo ship was ignoble for a man such as Victor, but stealth was necessary.

As the ship left port, he noticed electronic devices in vicinity of Victor's crate began to fail, their batteries inexplicably drained. Encouraged by this, he visited the crate daily with more sources of energy -- cell phones, radios, anything he could secretly steal from the crew. Small amounts, but a start.

When they reached Latveria, he brought Victor to one of several mansions he owned. He seemed as lifeless as when they'd left New York, but Leonard was not discouraged. He did not understand enough of technology himself to want to risk giving Victor a direct charge, nor did he trust anyone else to seek their help, so he kept up a constant supply of power sources, creating energy for Victor to feed off of, hoping that would be enough.

One morning as he wiped Victor's metal skin with a soft cloth (he would never let Victor suffer the indignity of dust), Victor's hand shot out and seized his wrist. "How...how long?" he rasped.

"Five months, sir," Leonard said, feeling a surge of delight.

"Where?"

"Latveria, sir," Leonard said. "I've brought you home."

"More...power." Victor released his wrist and fell still again.

Leonard immediately arranged for Victor to be brought to the nearest power substation. Somewhat nervous, he backed away as power began crackling from the power lines. Then instinct took over and he ran for cover, diving to the ground as bolts of energy began to strike at Victor from the equipment around him. He covered his head, praying that this would work.

As power surged through him, Victor flexed his stiff metal muscles. It felt good to move again. But while he'd been trapped inside his frozen body, he'd had plenty of time to think. Plenty of time to plan.

Let them think he was dead. Let them enjoy their "victory." He would bide his time, regaining his strength, increasing his power. And then he would make them pay. Reed...Ben...Johnny...they would all suffer. And Susan most of all.


	2. Chapter 1

Five months. Five months trapped as an immobile statue. Another half year recovering, regaining his strength, observing, waiting for the right moment. And now, a month away from the parade planned to honor the "Fantastic Four" and their debut in New York City, he was ready to start implementing his plans. 

Reed and Susan were engaged but not yet married, nor had they, as far as anyone knew, set a date. No surprise there. Reed was still busily studying what the cosmic rays had done, how to control it, and how his research might be applied to cure the world of all its ills. Johnny Storm was thoroughly enjoying his celebrity status, while Ben Grimm remained more reclusive, though he was the hero of children everywhere.

How he would enjoy knocking them off their thrones.

His own reputation was in ruins, of course, but not entirely unsalvageable. As always, Leonard had done a superior job in protecting Victor and the Von Doom name. According to Leonard's report, despite his broken neck, Dr. Weber had still been alive -- barely -- when Leonard had begun to clean up the mess after Victor's disagreement with the doctor over the proper way to deal with his condition. Leonard had carefully removed any glass from Weber's hair and clothes so that forensics could not link it to a place of death, then dragged him to a car. He relieved the doctor of his wallet and watch, then found a alleyway in which to discard his body, overturning a garbage bin on him to further contaminate any physical evidence. Weber still clung tenaciously to life, but a few well-placed kicks ended his suffering. The next morning the newspapers dutifully reported it as a mugging gone bad.

Ned Cecil had been a little more troublesome, as a man with a gaping hole in his chest could not be disguised as a simple mugging. Leonard had ripped down an overhead light in the garage, yanking down the wires so that the banker's death looked like an accidental electrocution -- a very nasty electrocution. Both victims had ties to Victor Von Doom, but nothing beyond circumstantial evidence could link their deaths to him.

Leonard had also disposed of the equipment Victor had stolen from his own company -- the rocket launcher, the cooling unit -- so that the thefts could not be specifically connected to him. The very public fight on the streets of New York was another matter entirely. Then again, no one had seen his face except for during his exit from the Baxter Building with Reed's body, and even then it was partially transformed to metal, and the witnesses couldn't be exactly sure what they had seen.

Nothing he couldn't deal with. He was, after all, just as brilliant as Reed Richards, and years in the business world had made him quite skilled at manipulation and putting a positive spin on even the worst disasters. Victor just lacked Reed's patience, but the past few months had taught him some of that. He'd always taken shortcuts, preferring to take the risks rather than wait to consider every single variable. But he did learn from his mistakes. Attacking the Fantastic Four with brute force had been his downfall. Even though he was stronger, they outnumbered him. Dealing with them would require more finesse, more subtlety. Divide and conquer had been the right idea, but he should've taken more care to make sure each was permanently dealt with rather than give them the opportunity to recover and regroup.

This time he would not fail. This time the result would be the end of the Fantastic Four. And they'd never see it coming.

"Reed, why are you watching that garbage?" Sue said with a sigh, trying to steal the remote from his hand.

He stretched his arm away, keeping it from her grasp. "I need to know what they're saying so I can better present a response," he said, his eyes on the TV screen.

"Fine," she sniffed. "But I'm not going to watch any more of it." She got up from the couch and stomped from the room, flinging herself angrily on the bed when she reached the bedroom. She wasn't mad at Reed, but rather with this whole damn "exposé." "Fantastic Frauds," it was called. An hour of television devoted to slander. Okay, so technically Ben had caused the accident on the Brooklyn Bridge. And while no one had been killed, some people had been seriously hurt in the resulting pile-up. And millions of dollars of damage had been caused to the bridge itself. But it was an accident. And they'd _saved _those people!

The timing, of course, was purposely coinciding with the parade this week. She wasn't thrilled about the parade; none of them really were, except Johnny, of course. But New York wanted to celebrate their heroes.

"Susan!" she heard Reed call, but she ignored him. She'd already seen more than enough of that trash. The idiot who had been trying to kill himself, starting the whole chain of events that led to the accident, was suing them for the "psychological trauma" caused by being "menaced" by Ben. Some of the other people injured in the crashes sought damages of their own. They'd been joined by a woman who claimed to have been burned by Johnny's supernova during the fight with Victor. And the government was investigating whether Reed was violating the law with unlicensed dangerous equipment in the middle of the city. They'd had to hire lawyers to deal with it all -- none of them knew how to. Even Johnny was complaining about it "cramping his hero style."

"Susan!" Reed said again, and this time his voice came from close by. She jumped as she realized he'd stretched his neck down the hall and his head was in the doorway. She _hated _it when he did that; it was so disconcerting. His hand stretched into the room and he grabbed her arm. "You're not going to believe this."

"What?" she snapped, exasperated, but she let him pull her from the room. When the TV came into her view, she froze in shock. The documentary had ended, and an evening news program had come on. And there, sitting across from the anchorman -- literally in the flesh -- was Victor Von Doom.


	3. Chapter 2

Her mouth hanging open, Sue stared at the TV screen. Victor looked like he had before his transformation into "Dr. Doom" -- flesh and blood, handsome, regal, dressed in an expensive suit. The small scar on his right temple was the only hint of what had happened to him a year ago. 

The statue that Victor had become had vanished after their fight. They were fairly certain that someone from VDI had made off with him, but by the time a search warrant had been obtained by the police to enter his corporate headquarters, there was no sign of him. Susan suspected Leonard Kirk had spirited Victor away to Latveria, but official inquiries made to the small European country only got vague responses and a promise to look into it. Latveria would not surrender her favorite son, after all, no matter what his condition. She and Reed had even traveled there to do some investigating of their own, but they were recognized and treated with polite disdain by the natives, who refused to help them at all.

"What...how...what is he doing?" she finally said, sinking down heavily on the couch next to Reed.

Reed studied Victor's image on the screen, barely hearing her words. "He must have found another way to reverse the radiation's effects," he said to himself. "But if he was the power source when he transformed Ben back, how did he do it to himself? Where did he get that kind of power? And how was he able to unfreeze himself? Did he do it himself, or was it an outside source? I should check satellite data for any unusual power surges in Latveria..."

Sue swatted his shoulder to make him stop talking over the TV. She leaned forward to listen as the interviewer, identified at the bottom of the screen as Doug Miller, asked Victor, "It's been a year since the incident on your space station. Would you care to tell us your version of what happened?"

"I gave more than one press conference after the incident," Victor said lightly, "but I'll go over it again. Reed Richards wanted to study the cosmic storm that was passing by the earth. NASA refused to sponsor him, so he came to me. I'll admit my motives were perhaps more concerned with profit than Reed's were, but I saw a great deal of potential in his research proposal and gave him the use of my station. But he miscalculated the speed of the storm and it struck the station before we were prepared."

"Miscalculated...how?" Miller prompted.

Victor shrugged. "I went over his calculations, but I didn't examine every single variable or double check all his results. I left that in his hands. He was, after all, top of our class at MIT. I trusted his work."

"And how do you feel about what happened now?"

With a wry smile, Victor settled back in his chair. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do. I agreed to this interview but I didn't realize it would be following that shameless attempt to slander Reed and the others. But I'll answer your question. Mistakes happen. No one is perfect. Of course I wish the mission had been successful, but as I said, Reed made a mistake in calculating the speed of the cloud, and it reached us before we were ready. It's as simple as that. Ben Grimm was regretfully still outside, but I tried to raise the shields, because saving four lives was better than losing five. It apparently wasn't effective against the radiation, however, and it altered us. All of us."

Miller nodded. "And just what did it do to you? There were all sorts of stories about being turned into a robot or some sort of cyborg..."

"I honestly don't remember much," Victor said. "I remember returning from the space station, but after that, not much else. The radiation affected my mind. It made me very unstable. And much like Ben Grimm, it transformed my body, only I became metallic instead of stone."

"Why did you attack the Fantastic Four?" the interviewer asked.

Victor shifted a little uncomfortably in his chair. "I don't know, and if I'd been in my right mind it never would have happened. It's obvious the radiation affected each of us in very different ways. It apparently made me much more aggressive, because while Reed and I were rivals in several ways, I certainly didn't wish harm on him or any of the others. I'm just glad they were able to stop me before anyone was seriously hurt."

Miller nodded again, then went for the kill. "Do you think there is a chance the same thing that happened to you could happen to them? Could their powers be turned against the people they claim to want to help?"

Victor frowned, as if he realized he had just been trapped into answering a question the exposé had asked -- were the Fantastic Four potentially dangerous? "I don't know," he said. "I should hope not. None of them are the type to --."

"Neither were you," Miller interrupted. Then he changed the subject. "So what happened after your fight with the Fantastic Four?"

"I woke up a month ago in my home country of Latveria," Victor said, clearly holding back his irritation. "Several of the top scientists with my companies had been working on a way to reverse what the radiation did to me. They were finally successful. As I said, I don't remember what happened, but I have been cooperating with authorities here to sort things out. I've been examined by several doctors to determine that I'm myself again. Your government insisted on it before allowing me back in the country, and I passed their tests."

"I'm told you also just made a substantial donation to the city of New York this morning," Miller said.

Victor nodded. "Yes, for the damages caused. It may not have been entirely my fault, but I still feel somewhat responsible."

"What are your plans now?" Miller asked.

"My companies have been operating in my absence, but I need to take a personal look at them," Victor said. "Obviously, my goal is to restore them to what they were before the incident. That's why I'm here in New York."

"Will you be meeting with the Fantastic Four?"

"I don't know," Victor admitted. "I have not contacted them yet. I meant to before this interview, but...it's a little...awkward, as I'm sure you understand."

"What about your relationship with Susan Storm?" the interviewer asked. "She and Reed Richards..."

"I'd rather not discuss my personal life," Victor said with a forced smile. "This, I believe, is a serious news program and not a tabloid show?"

Miller turned to address the camera and sent the station to commercial. The phone rang, and recognizing the number on the caller ID, Susan put it on speakerphone so both she and Reed could hear. "Hi, Ben," she said.

"Did you just see that, Susie?" came Ben's voice, its echo confirming he, too, was on speakerphone, a necessary adaptation for his mutation. Manual dexterity was not one of his strong points. "Guess who's back."

"We saw," Sue said. She glanced over to Reed and found that he had scurried over to one of his computers and was busily typing on the keyboard. "Reed's looking into it," she said. She looked out the window and saw that the VDI headquarters, several blocks away, was lit up. The building had not been completely dark over the past year so it was no surprise, but now those lights had a new meaning. "I...I think I'm going to go over there," she added.

That got Reed's attention. He looked up at her. "You can't be serious," he said. "We don't know what he's up to..."

"Exactly why I need to go see him," she said. "He seemed repentant enough on the TV, but we know how good Victor is at telling you what you want to hear."

"Fine," Ben said. "Then track down flame boy and we'll all go over there."

"He'll feel too threatened if we all show up," Sue said.

"Since when do you care what he feels?" Ben said. "He tried to kill us all, remember? Or are you buying this 'the radiation made me do it' bull?"

"I don't know," Sue admitted. "But, while Victor may not have been the nicest person in the world, he _was_ our friend. We can't just condemn him without even talking to him. I'll go..."

"You're not going alone, Susie," Ben said firmly.

Reed managed to detach himself from the computer and came back over to the couch. "I don't like the idea of you going over there," he said quietly.

Sue arched an eyebrow, wondering if his concern came more for her safety or because he was having Victor issues again. Every once in awhile, old insecurities would pop up, no matter how many times she reassured him. "I'll be fine," she said. "It'll be the middle of the morning, and he's not going to pull anything in a building full of people. And even if he did, I can just turn invisible. I'll take Ben with me if it makes you feel better."

"Yes!" Ben said from the other end of the phone as Reed put his hand on her arm. She leaned against him, her thoughts troubled. Life had already become complicated enough these past few months. With Victor back, she knew things were going to get a lot worse. No matter what his intentions were.


	4. Chapter 3

Victor heard the raised voice of his secretary from outside his closed office door. "You can't go in there without an appointment!" 

He smiled to himself. Right on schedule. The only question had been just who would be outside his door, but he already knew the answer to that. Aside from the obvious security cameras, there were now sensors installed in the VDI headquarters building that would detect the residual radiation emitted by those who had been exposed to the cosmic cloud. It was a necessary precaution to protect himself. He would have no Invisible Girl prying into his affairs, and he fully expected that as he tried to regain the trust of Reed and Sue and the others, Sue would surely do some snooping around.

The interview last night had gone well. He'd managed the difficult task of expressing seemingly sincere contrition for his actions and gratitude to the Fantastic Four for stopping him without appearing too obvious -- or so he hoped. It felt good to be in the public eye again, even if he feigning humbleness instead of being his usual self.

His real goal had been to subtly add to the growing mistrust of the "heroes." If the radiation had made him unstable, surely it could eventually affect the others as well, and make them dangerous and potential threats to the city. And human greed was a marvelous thing. He had not been behind the initial lawsuit against Reed and the others, but he had subtly encouraged others to join in the litigation -- indirectly, of course, so that it could not be traced back to him.

He glanced at the watch around his wrist. It was more than a mere timepiece -- it controlled his mutation and let him appear as his former self. He had spent weeks researching many methods to control the radiation's effects, including even dabbling in more mystical arts -- an interesting experience, that -- before falling back on science. Reed, Sue, and Johnny could turn their powers on and off, why not he? The watch produced a dampening field that negated the radiation and restored his appearance, which certainly had it conveniences. By necessity the power supply in the watch was small, so it had a limited duration, but it functioned generally long enough to accomplish what he needed to do. He could probably help Ben with a similar device, but offering that would be the actions of a forgiving man, which he was not.

Pressing the intercom button on his phone, he buzzed his secretary. "Laura, let them in," he said.

He stood as the double doors to his office swung opened and Ben Grimm stomped into the room, followed by Susan Storm. He felt, much to his chagrin, a stir of desire upon seeing her. He would make her suffer as he had suffered, but he could not deny part of him still wanted her. As Leonard had once pointed out to him, he could have any woman he wanted, including ones more beautiful and more accommodating than Sue. But she'd been the only one to spurn him. And for that insult alone he wanted her to pay.

"Susan. Ben," he said calmly.

"Skip the chitchat," Ben grumbled. "What are you up to, Vic? How come you're not all shiny anymore? Or frozen?"

"Because my people found a cure, Ben," Victor said calmly. "For real this time."

"Right," Ben said. "And we're just supposed to trust you? I trust you about as far as I can throw you. Actually, come to think of it, that's pretty far. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't punch you through your window again."

Victor sat down wearily and sighed. "I hope you didn't just come here to threaten me."

Sue took a few cautious steps forward. "No, we came to talk to you." She gave Ben a pointed look.

"I've been expecting you," he said. "And I know you don't trust me, but I am sorry about everything that happened and I want to make up for the things I did."

"Sure you do," Ben said, looking suspiciously around Victor's office.

"Why don't we go out to lunch somewhere?" Victor suggested, following his gaze. "You pick the place. That way you can relax and stop worrying that a horde of Doombots or something is going to emerge from the shadows and attack you."

Sue studied Victor carefully. He knew she was trying to figure out his motive for suggesting they go out in public. She understood him well enough to realize he never did anything with a reason. Did he want to be seen with them for some reason? Or was he truly concerned with finding a neutral ground to make the conversation easier? "Le Madeleine," she finally said, naming a French bistro in the theater district.

"Perfect," he said. "Leonard?" His assistant appeared as if out of nowhere at his call. "Call ahead and make sure we have a table waiting."

The manager of Le Madeleine was more than happy to accommodate the surprise celebrity guests, giving them the best seats in the garden terrace, overlooking the street. A special stone bench had already been brought in for Ben, as the ever-efficient Leonard had no doubt alerted the staff to the need for such a thing. Ben claimed not to be hungry, but Sue suspected the more exotic menu just didn't appeal to him. She, however, ordered the most expensive things on the menu. A petty little revenge, but Victor could easily afford it. His companies had lost a lot of money over the past year, but he was hardly destitute. And she'd taken a quick peek at the market that morning before heading over to VDI to see his company stock had made a massive jump since his reappearance. Reformed supervillains, it seemed, were good for business.

She'd gone to this particular restaurant more than once in the past with Victor, which was why it was the first place to come to mind. They'd had dinner here a few nights before the ill-fated launch to his space station. It was in the middle of a busy part of the city, so Victor certainly couldn't try anything there. Still, it was awkward. What did you say to the man who tried to kill you?

So she asked lame, idle questions about Latveria and Victor's treatment and what he did remember as Ben sat in stony silence. Sue didn't blame Ben for being angry and paranoid; after all, Victor had tricked him into giving up his powers and then almost killed him. For his part, Victor seemed utterly calm, and for some reason that infuriated her. Part of her wanted Victor to beg for forgiveness -- for everything, for what he had done with his powers, and for how he had treated her during the two years they were together -- but she knew too well Victor was a man who would not beg.

Halfway through the mean, the maitre d' came over to the table and bent his head to Ben's ear -- or rather, where his ear should be. "Excuse me, Mr. Grimm," he said, "but you seem to have attracted a crowd..." He gestured to the street, where a group of ten or so children had their faces pressed against the glass wall enclosing the garden. They looked like they wanted to enter, but did not dare.

Sue smiled. Despite his monstrous appearance, Ben was a favorite with the kids. "Go ahead, go talk to them," she said. "I'll be fine."

Ben looked at Victor. "Don't even think of trying anything," he warned, then made his way to the garden entrance and joined the children on the street. They swarmed around him, asking excited questions and holding up pieces of paper for him to sign. Ben carried a marker big enough for him to manipulate with his hands for just such an occasion. He shot anxious glances over his shoulder at Sue and Victor as he spoke to the children.

"So," Victor said. "Why don't we talk about what's really on your mind, Sue?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "And what's that, Victor?"

"Why exactly what happened happened," he said. "Why I did what I did. You don't believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt you, do you?"

"Well, you've never been as concerned with the welfare of others as much as your own," she said testily. "Everything you do is for you. Everything." She hoped her own personal bitterness wasn't as apparent as she thought it was.

He nodded. "I know. I can't deny that I wasn't a stellar example of humanity. But I'm not the same man I was, Sue." He put his arms on the table and leaned closer. "Look at what happened to each of us," he continued. "I'm sure you must've had this discussion with Reed and seen the same things I have. The cosmic rays amplified something about us that already existed. Your brother's hot-headedness became literal. Ben's solid and protective nature manifested physically. Reed's reaching for knowledge and spreading himself thin with all his scientific research. You..."

"Me?" Susan prompted as he paused.

"You...being taken for granted and feeling invisible," Victor said. "Reed used to make you feel that way, and I'm ashamed to say I was no better, only instead of science it was money and power. I treated you badly, Susan, and I'm sorry. In some ways you were just another possession to me."

"And now?" she said, her casualness somewhat forced as she shifted in her seat and dropped her arms to the table. She had to admit that one of the sweetest feelings in the world was when an ex admitted he was wrong.

"Another regret to add to the pile," he said, reaching across the table to put his hand over hers. "I hope you have found what you deserve with Reed now and that he's learned his lesson. I learned mine. While I was recovering I was forced to examine my behavior -- the cloud amplified my urge for power and look what almost happened. If you hadn't stopped me..." He gently rubbed his forefinger over the back of her hand, then realized what he was doing and pulled his hand back almost guiltily, settling back in his chair. "I know you probably don't believe me, but I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you -- that I'm not the same man I was."

"I want to believe you, Victor," Sue said, drawing her hands into her lap, feeling a little guilt of her own over allowing such an intimate touch. "But...it's going to take more than words. Actions speak louder."

"Why do you think I kept this?" He touched one finger to the scar on his temple. "I could easily fly down to Miami and have the finest plastic surgeons in the country take care of it. But it was there when I woke up after I was transformed back, so I decided to keep it as a reminder. It's there to keep me from falling back on my wicked ways." He looked at her sadly, an expression she'd never seen on his face before. "I don't expect immediate forgiveness. Go back to Reed and Ben and your brother and talk about this. Tell me what I can do to prove myself to you. Give me a chance. I'm a changed man, Susan. I really am."

"I really hope so," she said. Silence fell for a few moments as she picked at her food, looking down at her plate. Without meeting his gaze, she asked with forced lightness, "So...are you...are you seeing anyone?" she asked. She regretted the words the minute they left her mouth. Why the hell had she asked him that?

"Not really," he said, then he chuckled ruefully. "Well, there's this Hollywood actress. Her publicist's idea, actually. He's trying to get her seen. I figured it couldn't hurt. She actually looks a little like you. Could be why I agreed to it."

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Like me?" she repeated.

"Same hair, same build," he admitted. "What can I say, I know what I like. And maybe we should change the subject before this gets uncomfortable. Actually, I'm sure Reed is anxiously awaiting your safe return. You should probably head back to the Baxter Building. Lunch is already taken care of, don't worry about it."

"You're right," she said. "I should get back. We'll, uh, well talk later?" She felt flustered for some reason and couldn't understand why. He rose as she did, then winced and leaned forward, bracing his hand on the table. "Victor?" Sue said, moving around the table to his side. "What's wrong?"

"I'm having weakness spells," he said reluctantly. "One of the side effects of undoing what the radiation did to me. It'll pass in a few minutes."

"Let me help you," Sue said, slipping her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders, leaning on her slightly as they headed to the garden entrance. Ben was still outside, swarmed with children.

"My driver will bring my car around," Victor said. "I'll be all right from here."

"Maybe..maybe Reed can..." Sue began.

He shook his head. "I don't think either of us are ready for that just yet," he said. "There's too much trust to be rebuilt." After a pause, he added, "I am truly sorry, Sue. For everything." He bent his head and gently kissed her lips. "For some things more than others," he murmured.

His limo pulled up just then, and his driver stepped out to open the door. "I know Reed's going to want to see my notes on what was done to cure me," he said. "Let me know how you want to do this." He moved into the limo and shut the door.

As Susan hurried over to Ben, Victor idly glanced out his tinted limo window to the van in which he knew the tabloid photographers were hidden and barely suppressed a triumphant smile. While he believed what he had said about the energy from the cloud enhancing characteristics that already existed, he had another theory about why Susan's power manifested as invisibility. It wasn't solely because she felt ignored; it was also because she was a person who valued her privacy. She'd never been comfortable in the limelight, and in every interview she let Reed do all the talking, not out of any need to defer but out of dislike of the attention. She'd always hated it when her name popped up in gossip columns, and the attention she'd received once she became the "Invisible Girl" had been hard on her. There'd even been an incident with Ben smashing the cameras of a particularly persistent paparazzi who'd harassed Susan. Another lawsuit, of course.

It was going to be fun to watch her squirm when she saw the papers tomorrow morning.


	5. Chapter 4

Susan sat alone in her room on the edge of the bed, her thoughts troubled. She and Reed and Ben had discussed the meeting with Victor, and they all agreed they couldn't trust him, not yet. She put in a call to Johnny to tell him to fly his butt back from whatever movie set he was on so they could all sit down and figure out what to do. Obviously, they had to keep all their eyes on Victor, figure out just what he was up to. But it wasn't his possible plans that were on her mind right now. 

A day later she was still tingling from Victor's kiss and the touch of his hand on hers, much as she was ashamed to admit. She'd lied to Reed when she said there'd never been anything between her and Victor, and Reed was just clueless enough to fall for it. True, she no longer had an emotional attachment to Victor, but did Reed honestly think Victor was the kind of man who would ask a woman to marry him before trying out the goods, so to speak? He wouldn't propose to someone he didn't know was completely compatible with him. A lot of her appeal to him had been how she looked on his arm, but that wouldn't matter if she didn't satisfy him in other ways.

She had wanted to love Victor. She _had_ loved him for a while. After her relationship with Reed had ended the first time she desperately wanted someone to make her feel desirable. It made her feel foolish sometimes -- after all, she was an independent woman, hear her roar -- but after breaking up with Reed she suffered from a definite lack of self-esteem. What was so wrong with her that Reed wouldn't pay attention to her? Why couldn't he just once spontaneously tell her she was pretty or give her flowers? Then she'd gotten the job at VDI and Victor had started showering her with gifts and roses and giving her all the attention she had craved from Reed. She knew a workplace relationship was hardly appropriate, but Victor was so handsome and attentive and the sex...wow.

Victor had asked her out to dinner shortly after she'd started working for him. She suspected it was more than a business meeting and that he had more amorous intentions. After dinner (at Le Madeleine, she remembered, wincing) he had invited her up to his penthouse for a nightcap. As they got into the private elevator to his suite on top of the VDI building, she told herself she would quite firmly inform Victor that anything other than a business relationship was inappropriate and entirely out of the question. By the time they reached the penthouse, half her clothes littered the floor of the elevator and her plans were completely forgotten.

Victor's aggressive hunger was the complete opposite of Reed -- and exactly what she needed. At first she basked in his attention. But she gradually realized there was no real emotion behind his words and gifts. Desire, sure -- but not love. He coveted her as a possession, an ornament, not as a lover. And so once again she settled and buried her feelings. It seemed she could have attention or affection, but not both.

The past year with Reed had been good. He wasn't perfect, but he tried harder than he used to. He remembered Valentine's Day and her birthday for the first time, though she suspected Ben reminded him. A dozen roses and a cheesy heart-shaped box of chocolates greeted her when she woke up the morning of February 14th, and he took her out to dinner to a romantic restaurant that evening. While she was genuinely touched by his gestures, it was still left to her to make the first move for the majority of their relationship. He recognized the importance of holidays and birthdays and anniversaries to her, but day to day displays of affection were still lacking. He'd stay up all night working if she didn't drag him to bed. He didn't want to sit still and watch a movie while cuddling on the couch and munching popcorn. She still came in second place to his research. Even her efforts to get him to choose a date for their wedding netted no results. There was always some burning research question that needed to be answered before they could settle on a date. That was not a good omen for her future wishes, like having children. What kind of father would Reed be if he didn't have time for his kids?

She loved Reed. She wanted to spend her life with him. But old habits were hard to break, and she wondered if Reed would ever be capable of fulfilling all her needs...like Victor had. And now Victor was back, claiming to have changed his ways. He might've been her perfect man if only he didn't put business and power first. She couldn't deny that the temptation was there, but of course she would never act on it.

"Look who's getting her freak on with the bad guy," Johnny said, walking into the room and tossing a paper in her lap, jerking her from her thoughts.

"What are you talking about?" she said, then gasped as she saw the cover of the tabloid. It was a grainy picture of her and Victor at the bistro, snapped as he had reached across the table to take her hand. "The Invisible Girl Romancing Doctor Doom!" screamed the headline.

She flipped through the pages until she found the article. There were more pictures, one of her and Victor at some function from about two years ago, one of Victor kissing her yesterday before he'd gotten into his limo, and another of Victor with a woman she _knew_ wasn't her, but she was half in shadows and had her head tilted away from the camera. The woman's hair was the same color and length as her own, so she could understand the confusion. Trouble was, the photograph had been taken in an obvious intimate moment. The woman had her arms wrapped around Victor as he pressed her against a wall, his face buried in the crook of her neck. One of his hands was on her thigh, sliding up under her skirt. The picture was recent -- she could see the faint scar on his temple.

"I went along with your whole don't tell Reed all the details about me and Victor thing," Johnny said, "but he's going to figure it out once he sees this. You turning dark side on us, sis?"

"It's not what it looks like!" Sue protested hotly. "That's not me!"

Her brother peered over her shoulder. "Sure looks like you."

"That's me," she admitted, blushing, touching her finger to the picture of Victor kissing her outside the restaurant. "But...it was just a goodbye kiss. Nothing like what these people are trying to say!" She frantically scanned the article, which claimed that she and Victor were having a torrid affair and that Reed was allegedly devastated by the betrayal.

"So if that's not you, who is it?" Johnny asked, pointing to the other picture.

"He said he was seeing someone, and that she reminded him of me," Sue admitted, staring at the picture, and feeling an irrational surge of jealousy at the obvious intimacy of the couple. "That must be her..."

"So Vic's doing your evil twin and putting the moves on you," Johnny snickered. "Is he trying to get Reed to kill him? Oh, wait, this is Reed we're talking about. He'll probably never notice."

Sue threw the magazine at him. "Shut up."

Her cell phone rang; she picked it up and looked at the caller ID. Victor. She had never gotten around to taking his number out of her phone. "Hello?" she said, answering.

"Susan, it's Victor," he said. "Have you seen...?"

"Just now," she said, waving her hand at Johnny to shoo him from the room. He rolled his eyes at her and left, and she pushed the door closed behind him.

"I'm sorry, Sue," Victor said. "If I had known there were photographers around..."

"You've been saying you're sorry an awful lot," she said, getting angry. "How do I know you didn't plan all this?"

Silence, then he said coldly, "What are you suggesting, Susan? That I arranged for the paparazzi to be there? The ones that stalk you daily? Why would they need any help from me? And I suppose I hired those children to distract Ben as well so I could get you alone in my evil clutches. Tell me, what is my wicked plan? To break you and Reed up so I can have you to myself? Perhaps I'm going to turn you evil and use you to destroy the rest of the Fantastic Four. Or maybe I've chosen you to bear my evil hellspawn as part of a plot to take over the world."

She flushed, embarrassed by her outburst. How could Victor have told the photographers to be there, after all? He was in her sight from the moment _she_ chose the restaurant to their arrival there. And when he put things like he just did, it made her suspicions seem ridiculous. "You're right...I-I'm sorry. It's just..."

His tone relaxed. "I understand. How is Reed taking it? Do you want me to talk to him and try to explain...?"

"He...I don't know if he's seen it yet," she said.

"Let me know if I can do anything," he said. "I am sorry, Sue. I know I shouldn't have kissed you, but I couldn't help myself. I was out of line and it won't happen again. I guess I was just caught up in the moment and wishing things could be different."

"If you still had your powers, I might ask you to electrocute the paparazzi," she said jokingly, trying to direct the subject away from the kiss. Bad taste, perhaps, but she didn't want to dwell on that particular moment. No, no thinking about Victor. Or Victor's lips. Or Victor's lips on hers.

He chuckled. "No, but I _can_ buy their papers and fire them all," he said.

"They'd just find new papers to sell to," she said wearily. "You can't get rid of them. Trust me, I've tried."

"Let me know if I can do anything," Victor said again. "Call me when you want to set up a meeting to go over my treatment. I'm sure Reed would love to see it."

"I'm sure he would," Sue said. "I'll call you. Goodbye, Victor."

Victor ended the call and set his phone down, leaning back in his chair. Alone in his office, he let himself revert to his metal-skinned form, conserving power for his next public appearance. Only Leonard could come into his office unannounced, and he knew the truth already.

Sue had reacted just as he had expected, including her outraged accusation. He deflected her suspicions by essentially admitting the truth. The press was stalking him, he knew, and they'd bribed his secretary to be kept informed of his movements. She had obligingly informed them of his lunch with Sue and where it would be the minute they left his office. He'd hired Laura precisely for that reason and was very careful with what information she was allowed to see and hear. When the time came, he would expose her and fire her in outrage.

Leonard had meanwhile arranged for a VDI agent to mention loudly in a nearby arcade that the Thing was at the restaurant, attracting the attention of the children who adored him. And causing problems between Reed and Sue _was_ his goal. He wanted her to turn to him for support, and now the seeds had been planted. He just needed to be patient and let them grow.

He flipped through the extensive files Leonard had prepared for him. It had not been a difficult choice to decide whom to destroy first. Sue would be last, of course, and only after he had taken away her world piece by piece. Reed's mind and Ben's raw physical strength were significant threats, rivaling his own intelligence and power. But no, Johnny Storm would be the first to fall. He was more vulnerable, as he spent a great deal of his time away from the others, living life like a movie star. And Victor didn't want to risk another rapid heat/cool-down attack to immobilize him. The Human Torch had to be neutralized.

The tabloids -- such a useful tool -- had Johnny romantically linked to some young up-and-coming actress, and Leonard had confirmed this through VDI industry contacts. Unlike many vapid Hollywood denizens, she actually seemed to have talent. Pity she was going to die.


	6. Chapter 5

Sue nervously approached the VDI headquarters building. She had been trying to get a hold of Victor for a few days now but had been unsuccessful, and she was beginning to suspect he was avoiding her. His secretary kept telling her he was out of the office. Was he offended that she had accused him of setting her up to be photographed by the tabloids? Or was he trying to avoid an awkward situation because of his attraction to her? 

Reed never said anything to her about the pictures. Ben, however, had a few words for her and confirmed that Reed had seen the tabloid and was hurt and confused. "So while I was with the kids you were playing footsie with Vic under the table?" Ben had said angrily. He had softened after she hastily explained that the pictures were out of context and one of them wasn't even her. Then he accused Victor of arranging them, just as she had done, except now she defended Victor, which just made Ben angry again. He didn't know the exact truth of her previous relationship with Victor, but he knew there was probably more to it than she told Reed. He was also very protective of Reed and was afraid he was going to end up hurt again. She promised Ben there was nothing going on between her and Victor and that the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Reed. At least she knew the latter was true.

So Reed said nothing, probably rationalizing that there must be some explanation, and having an ugly confrontation with her about it would be pointless. She couldn't fault that logic, but still, it would've been nice to see some jealousy out of him. He hadn't fought to keep her before; would he fight this time? Not that he needed to, of course, because she wasn't interested in Victor. The very idea was insane, wasn't it? So why couldn't she stop thinking about him?

She had only talked once to Victor since the phone call after the tabloid pictures. He had sent over a package of research material for Reed about how he had been cured of the radiation's effects, and since then Reed had been engrossed in studying it and seeing if he could replicate it. The only other time she had heard from Victor had been the phone call offering whatever help he could provide after the news about Johnny broke.

Two weeks before, shortly after Victor's return and two nights before the parade that was supposed to honor the Fantastic Four, she'd gotten a frantic phone call from Johnny in the middle of the night. She wanted to believe what he was telling her was a nightmare -- he was under arrest for murder. Johnny told her he had gone to sleep with his girlfriend and awoke hours later with the bed in flames. He tried to pull Sarah from the fire but she was already badly burned and died in intensive care a few hours later.

Johnny had learned better control of his powers over the past year, but sometimes he was careless and started a fire by accident. He'd almost burned down the Baxter Building one night; fortunately, the smoke alarms awoke them and she had been able to contain the blaze and while Reed put the fire out. This time, Johnny must have started a fire in his sleep, and while the flames did not harm him, they burned Sarah. She had third degree burns over 80 percent of her body, and it was probably a blessing that she died.

The charges had been reduced to manslaughter because it was obviously an accident, but the prosecutors were determined to make an example of Johnny. They weren't just seeking a fifteen year jail term; they wanted to put him away for life, citing that he was dangerous and a menace to public safety. The parade had been cancelled, and public opinion had turned even more against the Fantastic Four.

Now she hurried to VDI, hoping that if she showed up there personally Victor would talk to her. She needed his help. Reed wasn't being cooperative, and she had to do something. She couldn't let her baby brother go to jail for the rest of his life.

Security recognized her and let her into the building. She hadn't worked there in over a year, so she had to sign in as a guest, but she was still allowed inside with no hassle. She took the elevator up to Victor's office, trying to compose herself, checking her makeup and hair in the elevator's mirror. She'd done enough crying in the past few days; she didn't want him to see her with blotchy cheeks and runny mascara.

Laura, Victor's secretary, looked up as she came through the door. "Hello, Ms. Storm," she greeted her.

"I need to talk to Victor," Sue said.

"He's unavailable at the moment," Laura said. "I can tell him you stopped by..."

"It's an emergency," Sue said insistently. "I have to see him!"

Victor opened his office door. "Sue!" he said, sounding pleasantly surprised. "What are you doing here?" He looked over to his secretary. "Ms. Storm never needs an appointment to see me, Laura," he said. "I'm always available for her." Laura raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"I...I need to talk to you, Victor," Sue said, hoping she didn't sound as desperate as she thought she did.

He addressed Laura again. "Cancel my next appointment," he told her, then held the door open for Sue and motioned her in his office. "Sue, what's wrong?" he said as he shut the door behind them.

She saw the suitcase next to his desk and was momentarily distracted. "Are you going somewhere?" she said.

He shook his head. "Just got back, actually," he said. "I was out of the country for a few days. I only got back to the office about a half hour ago."

"That's probably why I couldn't get a hold of you," Susan said, feeling a strange surge of relief that he apparently wasn't avoiding her. "I...I've been calling you..."

"I'm sorry, I had my cell off most of the time," he said. "I was in Latveria for a funeral. The king's son was killed in a car accident a few days ago..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Sue said. She knew how much Victor cared for his small home country. Much of the money his companies made had been poured back into Latveria, lifting it from a poverty-stricken nation to a more modern country.

"Things are a little chaotic there now," he said. "There's no heir, and the king is not in good health. But tell me, what's wrong, Sue? Is it...about Johnny?" She fought to keep calm, but failed, much to her embarrassment. The tears began to fall again. "What can I do to help?" Victor said, moving closer to her. "I told you before -- my lawyers...money...whatever you need." He raised his hand as if to brush away her tears, but dropped it before touching her.

"I want you to take away Johnny's powers," she blurted out. "If he...if he doesn't have them, they'll go easier on him. Otherwise they're going to lock him up for the rest of his life. He's my baby brother, Victor. I can't let that happen to him."

Victor nodded gravely. "Is this what he wants, too?"

She dropped her gaze. "No. I-I brought it up, and he refused. He's planning on fleeing the country if he's convicted. He won't go to jail."

"Understandable," Victor said. "His powers are part of what he is now. They've given him all the glory he's ever wanted in life. And no one wants to go to jail."

"He didn't mean to kill that girl," Sue said, looking Victor in the eyes again. "It was just an accident. But now people are thinking any one of us could turn dangerous and hurt people like...like you did."

He winced. "I know. I'm just thankful I didn't seriously hurt anyone. But, Sue, even if I do this, he'll still face charges for that. I promise my lawyers will do what they can for him. They have a little experience in formerly super-powered clients."

"I-I know," she said, nodding, wiping her eyes. "But if he doesn't have his powers they can't justify putting him in jail for the rest of his life. The prosecution will look favorably on him if the voluntarily gives them up. But he won't listen to reason about this, Victor. That's why I need your help."

"Wouldn't you trust Reed to do this instead of me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "He doesn't feel ready to try it yet. You know Reed. And he isn't as...as..."

"Ruthless?" he finished for her. She blushed, and he chuckled. "I'm not entirely fond of the idea of doing this against his will, but I can understand your reasoning. Of course I'll help you, Sue. Like I told you, anything you want from me is yours. Anything."

"Thank you," she said in relief, impulsively throwing her arms around him. She quickly drew back, but stopped before pulling away completely, her hands on his chest, feeling his well-defined muscles under his expensive shirt. "There is...one more thing you can do for me, Victor," she said. She swallowed hard, not understanding why she was doing this.

Looking at him, her thoughts went back to an evening two weeks before. The night before Johnny's accident, she had snuck into VDI invisibly. Her first stop was Victor's office, and she looked through his desk to see if there was anything incriminating or something that might indicate if he did have some sort of master evil plan -- or anything to do with the tabloid pictures. Finding nothing, she decided to go up to his suite as well. It was late and he was probably there and asleep, but she was anxious to take a look around.

He had been sleeping as she poked around his penthouse, again finding nothing that indicated he wasn't being honest with her. She peeked in on him in the bedroom. He seemed to be sleeping uneasily, tossing and turning, then he sat up with a gasp of "No!" He stared at his hands in panic and brought his fingertips to the scar on his temple as if to assure himself it wasn't growing, then seemed to relax.

When he threw back the sheet and sat on the edge of the bed, she drew in a sharp breath. She should've remembered he slept nude. He glanced sharply to where she stood, and for a moment she was afraid he'd heard her or she'd lost her concentration and become visible. But he shrugged slightly and got up and walked into the bathroom, turning on the shower. She watched him go, unable to tear her eyes away. She once told him he thought he was a god, but she'd never admit she thought he had the body of one.

"What is it?" he said, interrupting the memory.

She hesitated. This was insane. She shouldn't...she couldn't. "Kiss me," she finally said softly.

He looked at her in surprise, as if not sure he heard her right. "Sue?"

"Kiss me," she said again. "Please."

"What about...?" he began.

"Don't," she said. "Don't say it. I just..." She faltered and began to draw away.

He grabbed her by the hips and jerked her against him, then brought his mouth down on hers. The tentativeness of the kiss lasted only a few seconds before it became more demanding. He slid one hand up her back, lacing his fingers in her hair behind her neck, holding her fast as forced her lips apart and his tongue sought entrance to her mouth. She opened herself to him with a soft whimper, wrapping her arms around him. This was the passion, the intensity she could never find with Reed. This was what she had been craving.

He moved his other hand up her side and rested it on her breast, squeezing gently as he rubbed his thumb over her hardening nipple. She could feel his arousal and part of her screamed for him to throw her down and take her, no care of any consequences. But it was he who ended it; he pushed her away and took a step back. "You...you should go," he said raggedly. "Before something happens that you'll regret."

_Maybe I won't regret it._ She almost spoke the thoughts aloud but kept them to herself. "Yes, you're right," she said. "I, uh, I'll call you. I just need to get Johnny here, and..."

"Tell him you want him to talk to my lawyers," Victor said. "Reasonable enough." His calm tone was forced; she could see the restrained hunger in his eyes.

She nodded, backing toward the door. "Tomorrow? I'll call you." She pulled open the door and hurried out. Laura gave her a smirk and a wink as she left Victor's office, and she winced, knowing what she must look like, hair disheveled and lipstick smudged. Was she out of her mind? Why had she asked Victor to kiss her? To see if something was still there? And now she was afraid there was.

Sue called later that afternoon to arrange for a time to bring Johnny by the next day. He was out on bail (thanks to a mortgage of the Baxter Building) and was agreeable to discussing his situation with Victor's lawyers, hoping they could get him off.

Victor hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. If ever there was a time for an evil cackle of triumph, now would be it. Things were falling into place just as he had planned.

Johnny's downfall had been easy to arrange. He and the late Ms. Sarah Wilson had attended a ceremony that night to present some meaningless award. Each of the presenters had received a gift bag, as was custom for such events. Sarah's had been carefully prepared. The expensive bath products -- shampoo, soap, lotion -- contained highly flammable chemicals, and rather than leave an accidental spark from Johnny to chance, the diamond bracelet in the gift bag contained a transmitter that emitted a micro-pulse of radiation -- just enough to trigger Johnny's powers to activate. So as he slept peacefully, his girlfriend went up in flames. A necessary sacrifice.

He knew Sue would come to him for help, just as he knew the night she was invisibly searching his office and penthouse. He couldn't resist putting on a little show for her, pretending to be tormented by nightmares of becoming what he once was. Her compassion would be her undoing.

What he had not expected, however, was her asking him to kiss him. He _wanted_ her to come to him, and had plotted a slow and careful seduction and manipulation, but she had rushed ahead. Surprising, but not necessarily a bad thing. He'd had to reign in his desires, however. Take her now and she might flee in shame and make it harder for him.

Surprise or not, her impulsive yearning for a kiss would serve his purposes. His secretary would dutifully inform the tabloids of how Sue had come in and demanded a meeting, and how he had accommodated her...and how she had left in an obviously disheveled state. Such a story could have only come from Laura, however, and he'd have to fire her in outrage.

Johnny would be dealt with tomorrow. The stripping of his powers and the betrayal of his sister would devastate him. And Victor would waste no time in going after Ben and Reed next. Ben would be easy, he reasoned. After all, he'd gotten him to give up his powers once before. He just needed the right motivation to do so again, and that motivation already existed in the shape of a beautiful, blind sculptor. As for Reed...Victor loved the irony of his plans. Sue had always wanted Reed to be more aggressive, to fight for her. She should be more careful what she wished for.


End file.
